The Veil Problem
by AsheliaHime
Summary: Post-Tangled. There was a tense silence in the room before the Queen sighed and finally said: „It's about Rapunzel. Can you talk to her?" How could he deny those big green eyes that reminded him so much of his fiancée's? Especially since he still felt the need to convince her that he was a good match for her only daughter.


**Time:** Post-Tangled & Pre-Tangled Ever After  
**note:** This was dusting on my laptop for some weeks now. For New Dream Week I got myself to finish it. (I'd still like to write something for the other prompts but I lack time /sobs) and yes it was inspired by this post I found some time ago, that pointed out that Rapunzel didn't wear the veil over her face.  
**special thanks to:** Steph, who was the _best_ to beta-read and correct it (I hope I can count on you with more works! You're really encouraging!)

* * *

The big wedding day of Rapunzel and Eugene was approaching fast. The kingdom's admiration for their princess and soon-to-be queen Rapunzel blossomed rapidly . Eugene was convinced that Rapunzel would be a great queen and would reign with warmth and a gentle hand over the kingdom; but before and above all, she would be his wife. (Not that he thought himself ready to ever step into the role of the king, when he had been just an ordinary thief his whole life - until he met Rapunzel, at least. She made him a better man. A man who could possibly, be up to the task, with some time and her at his side.)

Still, he could not suppress feelings of apprehension when he saw Rapunzel's mother coming towards him.  
„We need to talk." Those words never meant anything good. Had he upset her? Well, there was the temptation to steal something from the silverware, but he never did it - at least, not that he was aware of (old habits did die hard). In addition, he now belonged to her family, even if he wouldn't take advantage of his new status. After all, the royal family's kindness was more than he had hoped for in his wildest dreams.

The door closed behind them and he winced intuitively, since they were now alone in the room. What could he have done wrong? There weren't many possibilities with what he had been entrusted to do. Most of the time he spent on learning the etiquette, so he didn't embarrass anyone later. Rapunzel had fallen head over heels into the search for the perfect wedding dress, so they were spending rather less time together lately. She always told him that it was a secret to him, what her dress was going to look like.

There was a tense silence in the room before the Queen sighed and finally said: „It's about Rapunzel. Can you talk to her?"  
How could he deny those big green eyes that reminded him so much of his fiancée's? Especially since he still felt the need to convince her that he was a good match for her only daughter.

Who would have thought that Rapunzel was the reason for that morning meeting and the concern of her parents? It relieved him that the fault wasn't his.  
He paused in front of the large door which protected the beloved princess's room. He was enjoying a moment of calm; each of his steps echoed in the wide passage as he had approached the door. In the silence he heard a voice that filled the room behind with melodious words, which he carried in his heart.  
„…and it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted."  
A smile crept on his face as he opened the door.  
„All at once …", she continued to sing and he saw her bare feet dancing across the floor, her eyes turned towards the sky. She loved the castle's windows, because of them she felt closer to the world than ever. („… everything looks different, now that I see-")  
Even more than the windows, she loved the veil that was so long that it occupied half of the whole room on its own. How she managed not to step on it while wearing was a mystery to him.  
She paused in every motion when she saw him, her eyes larger than normal.  
„You?", she managed to say, puzzled.  
Eugene leaned against the door after he closed behind his back and replied: „Is it not me you were thinking of?"

Hastily, she snapped from her stupor to collect the veil in her arms, hoping it would erase his memory that he'd seen it. „Y-you should knock before you come in! Seeing the bride before the wedding means bad luck!"  
„Rapunzel, it's only the veil, not the dress. No need to panic", he said, amused. „or did you seriously plan to avoid me the next few weeks?"  
Even if it wouldn't be a long time, and the words sounded longer than those few weeks would actually be, he was slightly worried. (Hey, he was kind of giving up his freedom here.)  
Ashamed, she turned her eyes to the ground before she shook her head: „Of course not!"  
He smiled and put an arm around her. He felt the soft fabric of the veil that still adorned her head and fell down her back. He wondered how many yards of fabric she held in her arms just now. At second glance, he noticed how her hands clung to it and slowly he understood what the Queen's worries were about.

„I've heard that someone has rejected the queen in a wedding affair", he started to tell and she looked confused.  
„What? Why? Who would do-… Oh", she answered when his gaze betrayed it was her he was speaking about.  
„So your rebellious phase against your mother didn't end after Gothel yet?", he chuckled.  
„Well, yeah… no! I… I am not sure", she stammered, trying to make sense of her words „You know, I thought it would be something…" she cleared her throat and continued, her response well-thought out, „trivial. I just don't want to wear the veil over my face on that day. I've never seen a wedding before and I don't want to see everything through a veil on my first. Particularly if it's my own."  
She looked at him with those big green eyes that had asked him to show her the floating lights in the sky when they first met. Not that he had anything to say at this matter; it was a disagreement between her and her mother.

„Was it her idea that you came to change my mind?", she asked and looked at him suspiciously „If so, you are doing a miserable job."  
He raised a eyebrow at this accusation. „Even if I had tried that, you wouldn't even notice it." He lifted his hand and placed it gently on her cheek, which hopefully soothed her suspicions. But her gaze remained adamantly on him.  
He snorted. That she had the power to force him this way to resignation … „I was curious about the veil, okay?"  
„Eugene Fitzherbert, you were worried about me, weren't you?"  
„Well… maybe?"  
She laughed about the fact that he had a hard time to admit what he felt, even if it was written all over his face. Still giggling quietly, she leaned into his touch. She dropped her veil and put her hands on his shoulders to pull herself up. It wasn't more than a moment their lips touched, yet his heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to move his mouth against hers, she drew back with a teasing grin.

„Did your mother tell you what it means for anyone else if you will not wear the veil over your face?", he asked, since he didn't know if her mother had the chance to explain this fact to her, as impatient and spirited as his soon-to-be bride was.  
She stepped back, her expression as if she needed to think about this question. However, the blush that crept onto her cheeks told him everything he wanted to know.  
„You mean…", she started, but had to swallow hard.  
To make it easier for her, he leaned down to her ear and finished the sentence for her: „They'll think that you couldn't wait until the wedding night."  
Her cheeks glowed, and her eyes were directed toward the ground. It took a moment until she lifted her head and smiled at him shyly: „Well … I've been waiting 18 years in a tower in order to feel alive. I don't think anyone can expect me to wait on anything anymore."  
With that, she placed herself before him, waiting for his response. Eugene's mouth was dry at the thought and he coughed when he tried to say something in the first place.  
„We don't want you to lie on your wedding day, right?"

Happy with his answer, she jumped into his arms and kissed him with such haste that it almost hurt until it grew tender. He carried her to her bed, where she finally broke the kiss, a question was still unclear to her:

„Eugene? Do you think I can keep on the veil while we're doing it?"  
He just laughed and shook his head. That was his Rapunzel. _His_.


End file.
